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Short-lived Vacation

OK, OK! So I lied. Sue me. I’m back faster than I expected. The lunacy otherwise known as politics keeps drawing me back. Blogging vacation, be damned.

First on the agenda, we have former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge. Ridge is not my favorite politician, to be sure. My lasting memory of this dude was urging people to get ready for terrorist attacks emergency situations by loading up on duct tape. But he’s back in the news again. In this instance, the subject of discussion is one, Rush Limbaugh. This one was a little old apparently, but I thought it was interesting. Take a look:

Day-yum! Ridge did his thing, right? Well…not really.

Sure, it was impressive to see a GOPer make an attempt to put perspective on Oxy Limb and other right-wing noise machines. But, I won’t go as far as to say that Ridge’s interview was the fire and brimstone condemnation that many liberal outlets would have you believe (even CNN’s heading indicated that Ridge “took aim” at Limbaugh). Instead, I think he delicately hinted around the notion that Limbaugh’s ideology and the way he communicates that ideology was destructive to the Party. Instead of laying down the gauntlet, Ridge gingerly found something else to cite. I liken it to confronting a gunmen while he’s waxing a bunch of people. Instead of urging the gunmen to stop shooting people, Ridge is asking him to do it quieter.

In fact, I wouldn’t be suprised if Tommy Boy wound up being the next person to offer his apologies and his first born to Don Limbaugh, the all-wise leader of the Republican party.

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Speaking of media twists and turns, does the Obama adminstration have the media in its pocket, or what?

Chip Reid and Helen Thomas had every right to be incensed. Not only did Press Secretary Gibbs exhibit some of the most juvenile behavior I’ve seen from that podium since Tony Snow, but the ultimate points they were trying to convey were completely ignored.

By tradition, townhall meetings are made up of random people who show up to ask random questions. Depending on the nature of the event, some changes may be made to the format. But the general idea remains. Townhall meetings are usually unstructured. But if it’s true that questions are being pre-screened, attendees are being selected in advance, and answers drafted beforehand, it shows that the Obama administration has no intention of hosting a truly open forum. If Obama plans to use these forums to push certain initiatives (like Health care reform, which I think will flop. I’ll address why later), don’t be surpised to see more of this one-sided media co-opting. For all the complaints we had about the Bush administration and Fox News pass they were given, the same can be said of the Obama administration and whatever media outlets allow this behavior to go unchecked.

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Finally, the world of politics was tremored by the news that Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin has called it quits:

For some inexplicable reason, people are spending all their time trying to understand the reasoning behind Palin’s resignation. Look past all the long-winded babbling she did in her resignation speech and see the trees in the forest. This move can best be summed up in two words: POLITCAL…POSTURING.

No two ways about, the woman is clearly setting herself up for a presidential run in 2012. But unfortunately for her, the VEEP run of 2008 did enough damage to her political career to taint her gubernatorial stint (if you get recalled or voted out as a Governor, that dimishes your likihood of getting voted for as POTUS, in my opinion). Simply put, accepting the nomination on John McCain’s ticket may have given her a national spotlight, but it also gave her…well…a national spotlight. We were able to see in living color; the bungled interviews, the pathology of anti-intellectualism that has become a staple of the GOP, the unchallenged racism/paranoia coming from the McCain/Palin mob supporters, the scandals etc. Those things – in my opinion – all adversely impacted Palin’s performance approval ratings as Governor. Had she not put herself in the limelight by ambitiously accepting a role for which she was grossly unable to deliver, her antics at the state level would not have been as heavily underscored. Basically, she sucked as much as a statesmen like Jennifer Granholm, but was subjected to as much scrutiny as national leader like George W. Bush.

She decided to get away from all that while the going was good.

Honestly, for all the idiocy Palin brings to the academics of politics, she’s pretty smart when it comes to playing the game of politics. Distance yourself from your own screw ups (her time as Governor, the trainwreck of a Presidential campaign, etc.), deflect blame (i.e. play the role of the Armchair Quarterback against the current administration), and continue garnering sympathy by making yourself the victim of liberal elites, intellectual ‘snobs’, the media.

By the time Palin’s memoirs land in people’s dens and Obama’s initiatives keep getting stopped in their tracks, she’ll be in a perfect spot to secure the White House. She is stepping away from the action for a moment, only to come back stronger and refreshed in 2012. Dems, look out. Palin may not be the Gov. of Small Town, USA anymore. But she WILL be a force to be reckoned with.

You’ve been warned.

Of course, things I say can never be taken at face value. This is all coming from the person who was SUPPOSED to take a break from blogging. Riiiight!

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10 comments on “Short-lived Vacation”

I think your Palin projection is waaay off… for her to achieve that goal she would need teh savvy of Obama, the cunning/planning of Rove and Hell to freeze over (which is what I assume would need to happen before some of her formidable Republican competitors let her take their golden grail away– ie. Polenti, Romney, heck maybe even Gingrich). Even if God forbid Obama gets’s stopped in his tracks, I think Palin needs more than her memoir gathering dust on peoples coffee tables, she needs an overhaul of her image.

Or maybe it’s just me being ever the pessimist… either way I hope to God I’m right…lol.

Iono, GDS. (Alliteration aside with this next line) Palin proved to be pretty popular with people during the Presidential race.

In many ways, Sarah Palin’s story could be adequate enough to lure enough of the electorate to her side. While I think President Obama showed us that anybody could come from humble beginnings, become an intellectual “elite”, and become President; Palin showed that a person could come from humble beginnings, be a blithering idiot, still come close to securing the White House. It certainly didn’t hurt her cause to pull the gender card, toss out the “Socialism” claims, and bring up associations with Bill Ayers. That’s her appeal…as much as it disgusts me. The electorate identifies well with people that aren’t too intelligent or substantive.

In that respect, I think Palin’s the odds-on favorite to the GOP nominee in ’12.

“The governor needed a break after being on duty now for two and a half years solid, said her personal lawyer Thomas Van Flein.” (Source: CNN)

I get that Palin does some things outside of the box, & is appealing to many for precisely that reason. However I can’t see how soundbites such as the above won’t come back to bite her in the political ass.

Hey Dre,
Welcome back, (sheesh, that wasn’t even as long a break as I take between EVERY post.) Well, at least I won’t have to carry out my threats. Sorry, Nancy.

On Ridge;
Rush will never take Tom’s advice to be “less shrill”. Limbaugh is the NUMBER ONE radio personality in America and 9 out of 10 people couldn’t even tell you who Tom Ridge is. Why would anyone think Rush isn’t simply doing what he’s done for his whole career? He’s creating contraversy so his audience will continue to tune in to see what happens next-just like Howard Stern. Amazing how people try to second guess someone at the very top of his field. (As much as I personally dislike him.)

On Gibbs;
Fergodsakes. Am I living in a alternate universe? Does anyone really believe ANY of this isn’t staged? I applaud Chip for at least TRYING to do what real reporters used to do and ask a real questions. (I believe Chip won’t be getting called on for some time.)However, I (as Obama’s or Bush’s Press Secretary) would never allow my boss to get hosed with a bunch of asinine questions by the general public just so they can put them on youtube. Come on people, you know damn well some jerk would ask a “Are you still beating your wife?” question. I had the same problem when people criticized Tony Snow. As a Press Secretary your job is to protect your boss from the wolves, not feed him to them.

On Palin,
Actually, I think all you Palin-Haters should be patting yourselves on the back. By attacking her family, showing absolutely no class or restraint, hiding behind humor to be excessively cruel, promoting distortions if not outright lying, using sexist statements and logic you would never use on a left-leaning woman, and using the courts to bankrupt her, you have reached your goal. You should be sooo proud. I guess simply attacking her positions and leaving personal attacks out of it was too much to ask. I doubt very much she will run for President and if she did she certainly didn’t help herself by gaining a “quitter” label. I guess the lesson is it’s only O.K. for women to assert themselves if they have a “D” after their name.

What can I say, man? I couldn’t stay away. Much like our dear Govenor from Alaska, I’m no quitter. More on that in a second…

(1) You’re spot on about Ridge/Oxy Limb. The only people REALLY paying attention to this war of words (so to speak) are libs who are DYING to find the next conservative hero (or goat) who dares to challenge Boss Limbaugh. I expect an apology from Ridge, and then shortly after that I expect this story to fade into black. None of this will change the Republicans process of doing/saying things.

(2) On Gibbs and co: I would’ve expect the “Co.” folks (the Obama Administration) not to put poor Gibbs in this position in the first place. Rigging Q&A sessions may have been fine for the CNN debates, but for an administration-led townhall meeting?! That’s a no-no. Of course, I haven’t heard a peep about this coming from liberal sites; much like the silence that came from conservative sites about the accusations that the Bush administration was in bed with FNC. My, how silent people get when THEIR guy is pulling a foul.

(3) On Palin: I dunno why everybody seems to think Palin is calling it quits. She’s left the gubernatorial game, sure. But if y’all don’t think she’s maneuvering herself for Pennsylvania Ave., you’ll be suprised come June/July 2011 when she’s standing behind one of those podiums during the Republican presidential debates.

It’s the very things you cited; the alleged attacks (e.g. fact reporting) that will convince the electorate that Palin was a victim in a …how did she put it…political bloodsport. She’ll do the SAME whining she accused Hillary of (you remember that, right?) to garner enough sympathy and support to run for office. It’s so clear to me.